The Corona Virus
Pandemic has shone a bright light on the risk posed to the health and well
being of many individuals and families in this state because of a
systemic failure to address the homeless crisis.
The latest homeless
figures are a stark representation of the number of people whose health is
seriously threatened in homeless and
emergency accommodation.
The health crisis
however, has had an interesting effect on the housing market. Short term
tourism rentals have contributed to the housing crisis, particularly in
Dublin, but with the pause in the tourism industry because of the pandemic,
there has been a huge increase in these properties becoming available for rent.
It is time to
rethink the over reliance on not just the tourism industry as an economic
strategy and the impact that has on our housing crisis, but also the over
reliance on the private sector and private landlords to provide housing for
those on local authority public housing lists.
As a matter of
urgency the State needs to intervene in the private market and immediately make
these short term rentals available to local Councils. People Before Profit
Councillors on Sligo, Carlow, Dun Laoire Rathdown, South Dublin County and
Dublin City Councils will today write to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy urging
him to take control of these properties in order to properly house people, to
reduce the number of people on local authority housing lists and to increase
the stock of much needed public housing.
Editors Notes:
Letter sent to
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy
Dear Minister Murphy,
We are writing to you
in order to express our deep concern about the serious risk that has been posed
to the health of the very many thousands of individuals and families in this
state living in overcrowded conditions in homeless and emergency accommodation
resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic.
As you are keenly
aware, there are many families living in one room, in some cases four or five
to a room, or who have had to move their families in with their parents or
grand-parents because of the lack of accommodation in this state.
There are many people
living in Direct Provision and there are many migrant workers and students, who
because of unscrupulous landlords are forced to live in substandard, cramped
accommodation- sometimes in bunk bed scenarios, with four or five to a single
room.
There are also
families who are living in emergency or homeless accommodation who are not able
to access their own cooking or sleeping facilities and, in some cases, forced
to share a bed with their loved ones.
The current pandemic
crisis has also had an interesting effect on the housing system. As the
tourism industry has come to a screeching halt, thousands of short term
rental accommodations have become available for rent.
We believe it is
imperative that the State intervene to take control of these short term rentals
– this represents a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the
levels of homelessness that exist in our state.
It would be totally
immoral in the face the current public health emergency for many of
the above-mentioned groups to be kept in homeless or emergency
accommodation, when safer accommodation is available, and now in significant
numbers.